Albert Welter is Professor and Head of the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. His previous books include Religion, Culture, and the Public Sphere in China and Japan, co-edited with Jeffrey Newmark, and A Tale of Two Stūpas: Diverging Paths in the Revival of Buddhism in Hangzhou China.
""Anyone interested in the future of the planet should read this book. Welter dives deeply into four Chinese religio-political traditions: Confucianism, Legalism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Informed by the longue durée view, he invites readers to think beyond the Orientalist fantasy of a Confucian (peaceful) China or the dramatic illusion of a 'clash of cultures.' Taking a less-traveled path, Welter leads readers to explore two central inquiries: (1) which of China's pasts could play a key role in China's rise; and (2) how and why the dominance of each tradition could shape the future of the planet."" — Jessica Xiaomin Zu, University of Southern California